A Box, Alternate Realities and a Safe Word

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you made a different choice? Whether it be applying for a job, asking someone out, or trying out for a sports team, we all have regrets and have wondered what our lives would be like if we took a different path.

The Box

Image courtesy of las majores series

This is the premise of Dark Matter. Originally released as a novel in 2016 by Blake Crouch, it was later adapted into a TV show on Apple TV+ in 2024. Crouch was the lead writer for the show, so it stayed relatively true to his original work, with slight changes being made due to the change in medium.

Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen as he traverses through the multiverse. The show begins quite confusing as it switches between realities. We see the same character, Jason, in two different realities. The main Jason, known as Jason1, is jumped and later wakes up in a world which looks the same as his but one that couldn’t be more different.

The plot is centred around a box. An alternate version of Jason created a box which can traverse the multiverse. Inside the box is an infinite number of doors which lead to endless possible realities. The realities are centred around the person in the box and these realities can be a deadly virus taking over the world, the world freezing over, or the world being submerged in water. They can also be personal changes like taking a different career path, growing up in a different neighbourhood or your parents getting divorced.

Alternate Realities

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Jason1 swaps realities with Jason2, the creator of the box. In Jason1’s reality, he is a physics college professor, married and has a son. In this reality, Jason gave up a promising career in the sciences to be with his wife and always had slight regrets. He is thrown into Jason2’s reality where this Jason pursued his career and created his invention of the box. As a result, he never got together with Daniela, which was his biggest regret. He used the box to swap realities with a Jason who had Daniela and never pursued his career, thinking he was giving the other Jason what he wanted.

Some of the best scenes of the show is watching Jason1, alongside Amanda, trying to find his reality. It takes multiple episodes and hundreds of attempts but eventually, he makes it back to his reality, but not without some complications. There were multiple close calls along the way, almost getting trapped in an ice world, almost getting crushed by collapsing buildings and running away from killer insects.

Safe Word

The ending of the show saw many slight changes from the book. For one, in the show, Daniela realizes that Jason2 isn’t her real husband. Even though they looked identical, their personalities were different, and he didn’t have any of the memories the real Jason had. For example, he gave his son ice cream containing peanuts, not realizing he was allergic. My favourite part of the show is when Jason finally returns home because I wasn’t expecting the events that followed.

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After Jason’s return, he is quickly killed by Jason2. I was confused when this happened, it didn’t make sense for Jason1 to die so quickly. I had to rewind the show to make sure I saw it correctly. But then, another Jason showed up, followed by another and then another. Dozens of Jasons were entering Jason1’s world through the box. Because of Jason1’s endeavours to return home, he created alternate versions of himself with every decision he made. Something I’d never thought about.

This resulted in an action-packed end to the show as various Jasons tried to get Daniela and their son for themselves. Jason1 and Daniela had come up with a safe word so she could tell whether he was the real Jason or not. Watching Jason1 escape with his family and fight off identical versions of himself was suspenseful and truly entertaining.

A (somewhat) Happy Ending

The story comes to a satisfying end with Jason1 leaving his world and entering a new one with his family. The main difference was Jason2’s redemption. In the show, Jason2 redeems himself by saving Jason1 and his family, allowing them to escape. He realizes what he did was wrong and although he couldn’t stop the situation he created, he could at least help save Jason1 and his family. This redemption is something that doesn’t happen in the book.

Dark Matter is an interesting and unique take on the multiverse, it is one of my favourite shows in recent years and the book is thoroughly enjoyable, making it one of my favourite book-to-screen adaptations. There is no shortage of action, suspense and surprise as you watch Jason Dessen trying to return home. It’s a story which starts with regret but ends with being satisfied with what you have. It teaches us that what matters isn’t the choices you made in the past but the ones you make in the present because those are the ones that define your future.

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Brayden Lowe is currently a professional writing student at Algonquin College. Brayden has been passionate about writing and telling stories since a young age. While creating his own stories, he also critiques everything he watches and reads, both the good and bad. He has been watching TV shows and movies his whole life but only started reading novels at fifteen. He now considers novels to be the purest form of entertainment and comparing his favourite books to their screen adaption is something he is very passionate about and a subject he could talk about all day.

The Boys: Superhero Parody or Reinventing Superheroes?

Do you like superheroes? Blood, gore and violence? If you answered yes to those questions, then The Boys is the perfect show for you. Released on Amazon Prime in 2019, it has become one of Prime’s most popular series. Based on the comic book series by Garth Ennis, the show has seen some significant changes from its original source material while staying true to Ennis’s original vision.

Superheroes or Supervillains?

The Boys takes place in the present day and follows a reality where superheroes exist. However, it’s not what you think. The main plot of the show follows a team led by Billy Butcher, known as The Boys. They are a secret government operation created to keep what they call “supes” in line by any means necessary.

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios

The Boys is parody of classic superhero movies and comic books. Plenty of the supes in the show take clear inspiration from fan favourite heroes. The most notable example is Homelander, who is this universe’s version of Superman.

My favourite thing about this universe is how the superheroes are portrayed. The superheroes are a business and that business is corrupt. They star in their own movies and are created into products. Just like everything else, it seems like making money is their priority and saving the world comes second.

I like this portrayal because if superheroes were real, I think it would be similar to how they are handled in The Boys compared to something like Marvel or DC. There are some superheroes in the show whose focus is saving the world, but the majority are reckless, dangerous, selfish and evil.

Can Something Be Too Edgy?

image courtesy of Amazon

Edgy is a great word to describe The Boys. The Prime series has had to tone down the amount of nudity and inappropriate scenes compared to the comics. Being a comic series, it’s easier to get away with being depraved so it was expected for the series to be more mellow. However, the show still has plenty of blood and gore and eighteen-plus scenes. There have been multiple instances where even I’ve had to look away. It still amazes me how they can make the violent scenes look so real.

Through the first three seasons, this didn’t take away from the story. It was a part of the show and what made it unique. But the fourth season has taken its edginess to a whole new level. Scattered throughout the season are plenty of “not safe for work” scenes which feel unnecessary and take you out of the story.

The recreation of the human centipede, Homelander being breastfed, and an entire episode centered around Hughie being stuck in a pleasure dungeon, among many others, makes it hard to immerse yourself in the story. It felt like they were trying to be edgy for the sake of it, and it showed.

Major Changes

Many changes were made from the original comics. Many storylines were scrapped or reworked along with many characters. A lot of new characters were added as well. One of the changes that stood out to me the most was the number of gender changes to characters.

image courtesy of ign

A handful of characters were changed from male to female for the show. For example, Stormfront was changed to female, Victor Neuman became Victoria Neuman, and James Stillwell became Madelyn Stillwell. I like this change because it added more female characters to the show.

The biggest change from the comics for me was the character, Ryan. Billy Butcher’s wife, Rebecca, is assaulted by Homelander and later gives birth to his son. In the comics, Butcher’s wife dies during childbirth and her son is killed shortly after because he is born with superpowers. Ryan is merely a disturbing part of Billy’s past.

The show handled this completely differently and it massively affected the plot. Both Rebecca and Ryan survive and are put in hiding to keep Ryan safe from Homelander. Butcher believes his wife is dead until the end of the first season.

This change added a lot of character development for Homelander, who is far more complex in the show. He embraces his son and wants him to follow under his wing. In the comics, Butcher’s hate for the supes is derived from the death of his wife, and even though she is killed in the second season, Ryan becomes the prominent reason for taking down Homelander and the other supes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Boys is a screen adaptation that was done right. When comparing the two, I have to say the Prime series is the better version. Although both versions have their issues, the Prime series is the stronger of the two. The Boys is a fun and unique take on superheroes and it never disappoints as an entertaining watch.

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Brayden Lowe is currently a professional writing student at Algonquin College. Brayden has been passionate about writing and telling stories since a young age. While creating his own stories, he also critiques everything he watches and reads, both the good and bad. He has been watching TV shows and movies his whole life but only started reading novels at fifteen. He now considers novels to be the purest form of entertainment and comparing his favourite books to their screen adaption is something he is very passionate about and a subject he could talk about all day.

A Thrilling Experience: Jack Reacher Screen Adaptations

From the pages of gripping thrillers to the big screen, the Jack Reacher adaptations have sparked immense debate from fans and newcomers. But what makes these adaptations click, and miss? Join me as we take a deep dive into Lee Child’s iconic character and explore how Reacher has translated from book to screen.

Lee Child’s Reacher novels were first adapted to the screen in 2012. It was adapted from the eighth book in the series, One Shot. The film had mixed reviews from fans and critics and one of the main critiques of the film was the casting choice for Reacher. To begin, casting directors are one of the most underrated jobs in the TV and movie industry. How many times have we said after watching a movie that that actor was perfect for the role, or we couldn’t see anyone else playing that character?

That was not the case for this film. Tom Cruise was casted as Reacher and at first, you might think he would be the perfect actor because who’s better to star in an action/thriller than Cruise? However, he didn’t fit the role. Throughout the novels, Reacher is described as a 6’5, 250-pound male. His size is what gave him an advantage against his foes. But Cruise is only 5’7 and although he portrayed Reacher’s intelligence well, his physique can’t be overlooked by a fan of the novels.

Lee Child’s novels were adapted for a second time in 2022 on Prime Video, this time it was a TV show. The first season was based on the first novel in the series, Killing Floor. I prefer the Prime series over the movies. The first reason was the actor they cast to play Reacher. Alan Ritchson was casted and fit the bill for Reacher much better than Cruise.

The first season of Reacher was one of the best book adaptations I’ve watched. I watched the show first and got into the books after watching the show and when I read the novel for the first time, I was surprised by how much they stuck to the source material. They made only minor changes from the book, and I felt they were well thought out. It’s hard for me to choose which one was better. If I had to choose though, I’d say the book is still better, but the first season was a ten out of ten adaption.

Less can be said about the second season. Season two was based on the eleventh book of the series, Bad Luck and Trouble. It was released a year after the first season. It was still a good and enjoyable season, but they strayed away more from the source material, and it showed throughout the season.

My least favourite change they made was in the season finale. It was a slight change but one that had a significant impact on me. In the finale, Reacher runs towards a helicopter that’s beginning to take off, jumps and hangs off the bottom of the helicopter before climbing inside. In the book, he hid inside the helicopter before it took off. I did not like this change because Reacher is just a normal guy, yes, he is big and strong, but he doesn’t have superhuman strength and hanging from a helicopter as it flies through the air seems a little unrealistic. It’s a minor change but a big one to me.

A change I did like in season two was giving more of a role to the character Gaitano Russo. He was a Detective for the New York Police Department and had a much larger role in the show than in the book. I liked this change because of the relationship he had with Reacher. Russo reluctantly partnered up with Reacher and the remaining members of the 110th Unit and the rivalry between Reacher and Russo was very enjoyable.

The screen adaptations of Jack Reacher have their highs and lows. It’s hard to say if the screen will ever fully capture the essence and relentlessness of Reacher. However, the Prime series has portrayed him better, and I highly recommend the Prime series over the movies.

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Brayden Lowe is currently a professional writing student at Algonquin College. Brayden has been passionate about writing and telling stories since a young age. While creating his own stories, he also critiques everything he watches and reads, both the good and bad. He has been watching TV shows and movies his whole life but only started reading novels at fifteen. He now considers novels to be the purest form of entertainment and comparing his favourite books to their screen adaption is something he is very passionate about and a subject he could talk about all day.